Armed with a new approach, the center is looking at veteran care differently. New programs aim to envision a veteran in need not as a diagnosis, but as an individual. A person.

In October, staff got their chance with one of 35,433 veterans the center served this year. A 71-year-old Vietnam veteran had admitted himself several times for respiratory issues. He had difficulty breathing. Dawn Bass, nurse manager of palliative care in the center’s end of life wing, said a few tweaks were made to his medicine, he felt better and was sent home.

His situation worsened, though.

“He said ‘I know I’m dying,’” Bass said.

Feeling what Bass called “really panicked,” he made a revelation to staff: he had never been baptized. It was important for him to be. It was his last wish.

“It became an urgent need of his,” Bass said. “I thought, this will be easy. We’ll get a chaplain, holy water ... and we’ll baptize him.”

The wrench thrown into that plan: his faith required a full immersion baptism. Staff began to think “way outside the box,” Bass said — they floated the idea of getting an inflatable pool and doing the baptism on site. That didn’t pan out.

Instead, “we were able to arrange for him to be baptized in a local church of his denomination.” The center provided transportation and sent staff.

“We were able to accomplish that in 24 hours from when he said his final wish to the baptism.”

Not bad for a government agency bogged down by red tape and restrictions.

“To do that, it took a lot of people who care a lot about veterans,” Bass said. “We were willing to take several policies and say, ‘You know what? We’re going to violate these policies in this situation.’”

The man’s 93-year-old mother wasn’t able to attend. Bass said afterward, the veteran had said he knew he could go to heaven, and that his mom would be so proud.

“It was really a touching event,” Bass said. “It made a difference for all of us.”

The man died four days later.

To those caring for veterans at the VA center in Saginaw, it gave firsthand experience of the changes and new approaches the center is taking. Dubbed “Re-igniting the Spirit of Caring,” a three-day retreat aims to educate and inspire staff to bring them “back to the core of why they choose the profession of caring for others.”

Some additions are small: a “calming hand” sign placed outside patient rooms to remind staff to “take a moment to center themselves before engaging with the veteran so they can be ‘present’ in the interaction.” On a whiteboard inside the room, they write things about the veteran for staff to get to know the veteran as a person and not just a patient. The center encourages staff to take breaks. A comfort room helps “re-energize” and “calm” staff.

“This is something that’s been a culture change for us,” said Amanda Pearson, a registered nurse and relationship-base care coordinator.

The VA center in Saginaw opened in 1950. Statewide, 1,060 full-time equivalent employees work at nine outpatient clinics.

“In the last few several years, we’ve shown constant growth,” said Carrie L. Seward, the center’s public affairs officer. And, “we have a lot of veterans in the Midland community that we take care of.”

The center reports treating 33,723 veterans in 2014; 34,725 in 2015; and 35,433 this year.

“We also lose thousands of veterans who pass away or move,” she said.

Regardless, “we try to market the VA as much as possible because we believe we can take better care of vets than the private sector.

“What the public might not know is the VA does a ton of research. We have lots of performance measures, being a government agency.”

She said the five-star facility is third in its category of hospitals in the nation.

“We are one of the best VAs in the Midwest and we have the data and info to back that,” Seward said.

Veterans are evaluated case-by-case.

“There are definitely significantly different needs based on the age group and the war period we’re serving,” Bass said. “Even now, we have millennials coming in with different needs.”

They also know many veterans won’t seek help, or may not need it.

“Some of our vets don’t seek veteran care because they think others need help more than they do,” Seward said. “Many are younger veterans. They won’t come in because they’re busy getting back to life. They put their mental and physical health needs on hold until finding a job or house.”

The center encourages those with injuries or illnesses related to their service to stop by the center, at 1500 Weiss St. in Saginaw, to check eligibility status, which is income-based. A common ailment is hearing loss, which Seward says is prevalent in veterans of all ages due to exposure to artillery and machinery.

Ailments don’t have to be connected to a veteran’s time spent in the military, either — the center has wellness programs to help quit smoking, treat diabetes and lose weight.

“We’re here for any vet who qualifies for treatment of their wellness,” Bass said.